Dedicated to encouraging support for oppressed people striking at causes of concern as they see fit.

Friday, September 29, 2006

American Fascism

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14 Points of Fascism

The author of this article compared the regimes of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto, and Pinochet and identified 14 characteristics common to those fascist regimes. Below each of these points is a collection of news articles dating from the start of the Bush presidency divided into topics relating to each of these 14 points of fascism.

1.) Powerful and Continuing Nationalism:: Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

2.) Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights: Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc

3.) Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause: The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

4.) Supremacy of the Military: Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

5.) Rampant Sexism: The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.

6.) Controlled Mass Media: Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

7.) Obsession with National Security: Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

8.) Religion and Government are Intertwined: Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

9.) Corporate Power is Protected: The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10.) Labor Power is Suppressed: Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

11.) Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts: Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.

12.) Obsession with Crime and Punishment: Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

13.) Rampant Cronyism and Corruption: Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14.) Fraudulent Elections: Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections

Soeren, Thank you for the reminder. Maybe it will get some new attention out here in public. Our library has many interesting things in it. Umberto Eco seems to say it much better, but I have always liked his writing. Good link.

Thank you for the link Renegade Eye. I don´t think America really falls under one of those words that have already been used, it is something new. What is interesting is that one can find so much similarity between present day America and these leaders of the past. What they are labeled is a matter for debate, but the truth of what they have done should be plain for all to see.

Any doubt remaining about US being fascist has been voted away in the US congress today, 65 (including 12 Democrats) to 34, as a bill to pre-exonerate the administration of any war crimes, do away with habeas corpus and condone torture passed a final tally. The government could not have gotten this corrupt if Democrates actually were the opposition. The whole apple is rotten and we whittle our days away debating which half is least evil.

This blog is not hosted in the United States. It is not maintained from the United States. Eleven of its 15 Forum Team Members do not live in the United States. Its Chat room had been shut down over a year ago by a system operating from the United States. Its Library is not hosted in the United States. That Library was kicked off a host in Mexico run by a Canadian seven months ago because its content drew regular denial of service hack attacks from the United States. The United States is not the center of the world. The United States is a very young nation. The years of my life span one third of its meager 230. I recall very few of those when the United States was not off slaughtering people. I don't give a damn which or whose political party is enhanced or ended in the United States. The only thing I would like ehanced are the lives of suffering people outside the United States. The only thing I would like to see ended in the United States is the United States. Its people seem without intending to be doing a pretty good job of that. I am here to help them along.

Renegade Eye,The blog is here because Yahoo shut down the Further Left Political chatroom. Their reason was that some children were exposed to bad things in chat rooms. Notice that there are still all sorts of sex related chatrooms like BDSM, Fetishes, Gay Male, Lesbian, Married and Looking, Masturbation, Role Playing, Straight on Yahoo. However, all political discussion has been reduced to one category: Government and Politics. All the political rooms are gone. Why???

I listen to internet radio. Several of the political stations have been raided and no longer exist. Some of the more progressive and hard hitting talk show hosts have been removed from broadcast stations recently due to mysterious program changes.

I can go on ... Have you really looked around. The "You are either with us or you are a terrorist" attitude is very pervasive in the rest of media - TV, AM Radio, even books in the library. Why???

Why do people have to be locked into a "Free Speech Zone" when there are political meetings? Why can't everyone be heard? Really ask youself if this is normal. Is this what you expect out of a free speech democracy?

By the time this blog gets shut down, it may be too late. You will be living in a Facist country. I believe it already is. Take a close look at the definition of Corporatism, the first meaning of Fascism (the one Mussolini invented) . You might have an a-ha moment.

I was a Republican before 9/11 and had my a-ha moment when the US flew a corporate jet around the country to take Saudis home even though no other planes were allowed to fly. Why???

Renegade eye,I was thinking of just the opposite from your claim that "if the US were fascist, the blog would be closed" in that if the US were not fascist, this blog would not be here in the first place, nor would I. And to still be hanging on to good party/ bad party, good cop/ bad cop, is to ignore the bureaucracy that is always there using the pair to massage the populace to sleep thinking their best interests must be in there somewhere.

Fascism, Marxism, Comunism, Revolution... These are only lines used to feed the revolted unsatisfied desperate masses. They're all ideologies which have proven their total undeniable practical failure. What I know is what I see. I know something is corrupt when I see a joke of a country of cave-dwellers brutally destroyed because of a need for scapegoats; when I see another enfamished and empoverished people, who's only fault is to be born on petroleum, murdered in the name of liberation; when I see the last glowing candle of democracy of the Middle East being brutally and repeatedly raped under the aproving, obsesively excited look of the US for the mere satisfaction of their sadistic pleasures.That's wrong.

Sonshine's post, "hummmm", wins the prize in this go around of who can define how many words. That's something even Americans should understand. Unfortunately it is probably not the case for they've already murdered almost all among them who might. Anyhow, it is nice there is at least one gracing our presence that does. For the others, the word "hummmm" means "shit" in Apache.

What I actually mean that ideology isn't important. What counts is our humanity, our capacity for compasion, which we obviously lost. That's what the last agression on Lebanon was: the funeral of our humanity.

renegade eye,"Fascism is about the total annihilation of the progressive and revolutionary movement."Apparently you will not see the overt policies of the US government, becoming more blatant everyday as fascism until you yourself are in jail to qualify it as "total." Until such time, you prefer to call it a conservative government in which the democrats are the saving grace. Such equivocation will not put you last on their menu.

Once in a while you come across something that coalesces unfocused thoughts. Zatikia's new post on her own blog titled "About Getting Along" did that. I suspect this string of comments may have been motivation. It is worth reading by all who have read or posted here if for no other reason than to wrap this thing up. So is the Forum's Posting Guide, particularly its first paragraph, which seems now to have been written in precognition. Or, was it because we've been there before and don't intend going back?

Wow, it looks like we are breeding patriots as fast as the US is breeding terrorists. Come back, come back little Sheba, I have a solution for you. The solution to the delay of debate is personally living ones life as well in the world as one would without the oppressors existent. And don't wait for someone else to lead the way, or pass a law, or approve it. Just do it, and if you are doing it anywhere right you'll be a good example for others. I grant that that example may be limited to your cellmates, but as Thoreau said, "The only place for a just man in an unjust society is in jail." Perhaps the high cost of supplying prisons for the majority of the population will get to them through their pocket books.

Now i guess i know why thay are building more and more private Jails in usa and in a private run jail thay dont have to get you health care or anything guess it will be the new motels .Who has the bucks will get a nicer place but then who knows do thay also have to provide ventalation and all your other needs in a closed in building .More and more jails i think thats the new asilums but then what do i know .But then to ware a flag a while back pre60s was that not a statment like burning one hummmm????

redwine,the left seems paralysed by lack of a leader to inspire the mindless masses to the greatness of their original human potential as if it required a revolution. I am saying that if individuals (as individuals) realized the full implications of the direction the US is headed on the course it is staying, previous fear of being alone, or thrown in jail, or even murdered for living ones life according to the golden rule without their permission is a small price to pay for awakening the sheep to derail the fascist agenda so apparent. Besides, being alone gives one a vision of the ties to others unafraid of being alone, and by such actions the rapist, murderer, childmolester population in prison will be thinned out by the voluntary population of free thinkers and pot smokers, pretty good company. As for being killed, your reincarnation will be as a wild animal, with no problems but nature to contend with. Every great change in society has occured when the paradigm of the culture's thinking changes as witnessed by the influence of Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed in our recent past, a mere millenium ago. This millennium, this Age of Aquarius the paradigm shift must occur by each of us becoming our own avatar so that mankind can continue its evolution free of leaders in a free association of well meaning, loving individuals.

Greg, sorry: somehow I fail to see the connection between fascism, pot, rape and child molesting. Also, as child molesting may not be an act of free will always, (theft generally is)I also fail to see how free thinkers will replace those who are in jail today, not always for very godly acts.

Redwine,I made no attempt to make the connection you seem to be trying to make. By even mentioning rapists, etc was in reference to their not being as large a portion of the prison population when arrests of unafraid freethinkers begin to swell their ranks. At some point, everyone still in the sleepy flock back home will witness at least one acquaintence being hauled off for no reason other than their opinion and the lighting of the dark will accelerate.